Coffee Beans and Bobby Pins

Housewarming Party

Last
Saturday, Aaron and I hosted our first “official” party. We’ve had people over
before, and I’ve hosted showers and things for friends at other people’s
houses, but this was a first for the two of us and the first official gathering
in our new house. I am no expert at all, but I thought I would share a few tips
with each of you for hosting a housewarming, or any sort of gathering. I am co-hosting
some showers this coming fall for some special friends here in Durham, and I’m looking forward to them going
smoother just from having a little more experience!
Below are
some photos of the set up I arranged, but of course in the fury, I didn’t
photograph the dessert set up or the bar set up! Oh well- hopefully you enjoy
the appetizer set up, because that’s all I really snapped!
1. Make a
budget. I for one am BAD at this, my husband will tell you. However, making a
budget helps you keep track of what you’re spending. Enough said. You can throw
together a great party with minimal money, just plan ahead!
2. Send
invitations. A legit party should have an invitation. People are more likely to
RSVP, come and remember if you take the time to properly invite them. We did a
paper invite with postage, but there are so many great and inexpensive ways to
send them out now through email (here and here), Facebook and whatnot. Putting
an actual date out there as opposed to a phone call or text message just makes
things a little more official.
3. Prep in
advance- if you can. I cut up everything, put it in little canisters for easy
storage, went to the grocery, cleaned, etc all before the actual party. This
helped the day of anxiety and made me feel less flustered. I know with jobs,
errands, etc. this makes it difficult, but it’s easier if you can try. For
example, I broke up my grocery list and the week before grabbed a few things
like beverages and buns that I knew could sit in the laundry room until the
party. It helped cut down the week of costs and also helped with pre party
prep.  
4. Send thank you’s. If you’re hosting a house warming party
like we were, it’s nice to send thank you’s to those that brought small gifts. My adorable and creative friend Hope, made us such an
adorable basket of goodies. That mug is a sketch of our house, I love it! So
many people brought us wonderful bottles of champagne, wine and other goodies
which are all so much appreciated! Which brings me to my next tip- take note if
you’re able to of who brought what!
5. It’s better to have too much than too little.
Some people wont RSVP and some will. It’s okay to follow up with people, but obviously
people’s plans change and so do the circumstances. I took the number of people
that didn’t RSVP and accounted for about ½ of them to show up- therefore, I had
food for an extra 5 people. Some people may be in the mindset that once it’s
gone, it’s gone- but I always like people to leave with their bellies full-
just a personal thing.
5. Most
importantly, take time to enjoy it. Just like our wedding, I was running around
like a crazy person. I didn’t have one appetizer or even a proper meal which
made for a not feeling great evening. I definitely believe in making sure
people’s drinks are full and dirty dishes are put away, but don’t be too
frantic about it. Take some time out and enjoy it, engage in a conversation
that lasts longer than 3 minutes. If you’re at ease, chances are your guests
will be too!

Just some small tips, I hope they help! We
were so overcome with the kind words from friends about our little fixer upper
house. While there is so much more work to be done, we were so thankful to hear
the encouraging words about it. Also, we feel so blessed to have met so many
wonderful people in only a year’s time and are so thankful for those who took
the time to stop by!

Have a great weekend all! One of my best
friends is getting Married tomorrow, so cheers to them!  can’t wait to
celebrate with all of our college favorites!

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